Discovery 500 RC Sailboat Ready to Run

rather small but fun sailboat.
build quality is ok, not good, not bad. As you would expect at 50$. A small plastik part was damaged, but most likely due to inkompetent delivery company (usually is) Great beginners boat at the price, want real quality, get something more expensive.

I bought this as a second boat (other one is the bigger Beili Hurricane 1000) - nice and compact, easy to transport fully rigged.
Mine had quite a bit of shipping damage (split hull at both ends of heel fin), damage looks to have probably been caused during packing rather than transit IMHO. I did not pursue this with HK, just fixed it (hot glue inside hull around keel box).
I find this a great little boat, but quite tricky to sail. It is best in lighter conditions. For windier conditions, it helps to add about 60-70 gm sinker taped to bottom centre of keel bulb.
Please note that the hatch in original form is NOT waterproof, consider modification / replacement or add tape. Also hatch does not fit properly with 4 x AA battery pack in suggested position and battery pack will not fit elsewhere without removing servo tray. You can sail for hours with ordinary AA alkaline batteries.
Other than that, jib sheet (line from winch to front sail) tends to catch, holding jib in when it needs to be out. Alteration recommended but not essential.
Adding flotation is strongly recommended.
Great value for money IMHO
For full discussion and lots of ideas visit the Discovery 500 section of www_shipshape_rc_com (replace "_" with ".")

Très bon modèle pour débuter très facile à monter. Attention, il faut absolument faire attention à l'étanchéité du capot supérieur.

Not bad,
BAD PART ABOUT BOAT>The boat came after about 1 month of waiting! There were little things that weren't totally perfect, but i think that was the manufacturing's fault. The rigging is hard unless you have someone to help you with them.
GOOD PARTS ABOUT BOAT>The boat is not bad at sailing, it can catch the wind really well. Its durable and strong, but you have to do a little fixing on the boat. Mind that before you put it in the water, help seal the engine cover with something that wont leak and to keep water out.
Good boat(its actually taller than you would think)

nice and big boat, very fast and nice built!!

bon petit voilier j ai fait un essais au-jours d hui je me suis régalé
il manquais les petite bar blanche sur la coque j ai bouché les trous et tous vas bien

Very interesting boat! easy going! a bit of glue and small improvements in the sea!:)

The large servo that i supplied with this boat, is this connected to the sail for steering or the rudder (don't have a clue about sail boats).
Are there any boats on the HK websites that have a servo connected solely to the sail ??
Also does this sail and other sail boats have an electric motor and props fitted ?

Well it is my first sailboat, and I haven't got anything else co compare with, so I can just tell my feelings about it. Boat came with some minor damage, like un-glued servo battery compartment. I had to get the compartment out of the boat and glue it using epoxy.
Further assembly was not a problem, and took maximum 1-1.5 hour. The look is very good, but technically it is not ideal.
Here is what I found that needs fixing:
1. Factory glueing is not accurate. You need to remove some glue at some points (ropes), and to add it to other points.
2. You better tighten all screws before you go. Otherwise you will have to disassemble boat later (this happened to me. One servo unscrewed and On-Off switch also. Had to get the insides out)
3. You have to add some holder for the front sail rope, otherwise it stucks under the mast during sailing (check where rope goes, and you'll see it will get under mast soon). I solved it by making a copper wire loop, and gluing it to mast.
4. Most annoying. I suspect the boat needs heavier keel. Under moderate winds boat lays down on water, becoming temporarily uncontrollable and there is danger of sinking it. I am going to add some weight to keel, but have a feeling that boat can became heavier. Maybe I will cut the sails a little in this case.
5. You better round all hinges with sandpaper, where ropes go, and maybe add some oil. When wind is weak

Arrived well packed.
The servo stand was broken inside, have to stick it into the hull.
The battery holder provided did not fit in the designated place.
Sail servo is not strong enough to operate in full wind.
The cover have a double sided tape that did not enough strong so the water get into the hull. At the first flatten water goes in and I get into the water to save my 50 $ model and the electronics fitted in it.
It's a good looking model to keep in your livingroom.
Try to spent your money better than me!
Good luck !
Try to include as much data as possible.

Any sort of wind will flatten it. I have wrapped 4 ozs of lead round the bulb and smoothed with filler. Now it is starting to sail. Unable to fit normal battery pack under the supplied rear deck so made another flat one from plastic ice cream container. Large auto body plug let in to allow access to switch and charging lead. Haven't yet re-rigged it but I think a smoother cord would be an improvement. Takes a bit of getting used to and requires a fairly gentle touch to get the best sailing from it. If it ain't making headway it will make a lot of leeway!

Not in any way a race boat but a fun way to get rid of a few hours.
Sails quite well in light conditions.
Must do mods are extra flotation and add some weight to the keel.
All in all a good boat and excellent value for money.

Great value for money. Not a world class racer but a good fun boat to play with.

great boat very nice and all but not that quality electronic , i saw one in my friend place but still order it cause its realy nice boat read the line they dont miss any thing :
A beautifully crafted R/C sailboat, fully built and ready to run.
All required items are installed, including mainsail winch, steering servo and all rigging, sail and hardware. All you need to do is add your own receiver and battery!
Boat hull is based entirely on an ocean going racing yacht and moulded in fibreglass with a perfect gelcoat and enamel painted finish.
only issue is with the servo they r too slow and have dont have the power to steer full turn.

It is a good sailboat with a nice finish, however, the standard sailservo will only move the sails like 30 degrees for each side. You will need a radio where you can stress the servo travel angle to get a wider sail travel. As it is, you cannot enjoy full sailing.
Mine arrived with a very short shaft on the rudder so I cannot fix the rudder on the servo above the deck. In fact it is so short that the shaft will no even come out above the deck. I am trying to get a replacement rudder from HobbyKing as my sailboat cannot sail without a working rudder.

is not large, it is a small boat, very well made, we have experienced this, only a mild breeze and not far away, nice for beginners.

http://shipshape.bendigocommunity.com/
and
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=
;1321750
are
great links showing what can be done with these little RC Sailboats.. I found that it was such a great intro to RC Sailing I got a second one just to compete with friends.. Have made several Mods and more are coming. Sure, there are some issues but overall it's been a good experience and good value, So, i do recommend this boat to anyone new to RC sailing and that wants to have fun with it while finding out what the right BIGGER boat is next..

Arrived today, poorly packed, rudder needs fixing,servo tray loose

Visit
shipshape_bendigocommunity_com/
(replace underscores with dots) for help,
discussion, mods, upgrades etc for all Hobby King sailboats.
Users helping users.

Not a bad little boat.. little being the operative word. It saisl just fine in light to moderate conditions but wont handle anything like the big boats. The rigging needs replacing with better line and you need to make sure the sails are connected by the sheets to get the best out of the limited throws. All in all good value for a beginner's boat. Some improvements seem possible, but sail it first and see what you can do to improve performance!